Snehwal and Lily reached a market.
It was evening, and the market looked very bright and lively. It felt like the whole town had come together there.
There were wide shops on both sides of the street.
In front of each shop, lamps and red lanterns were glowing.
Some shops had colorful clothes waving in the wind, and some smelled like spices. The smell made the whole air smell nice.
Torches were burning on the sides of the streets. Their flames moved a little when the wind blew.
Shopkeepers shouted loudly about their goods, and buyers smiled while talking and bargaining.
The crowd, children laughing, the slow beat of drums, and the colorful lights all made a beautiful scene.
Anyone seeing it would want to stop and enjoy the moment.
Seeing all this, Snehwal stopped.
His eyes were wide with surprise and a little smile was on his face.
Snehwal said—
"I have never seen a market like this. It is so nice!"
His voice was full of excitement and real wonder.
Lily looked at him.
Her eyes were calm, but inside, she felt very happy.
She looked at Snehal, as if she could feel his happiness and it made her happy too.
Among the crowd, some rich merchants were looking at Lily.
They were staring at her beauty and her well-shaped, lively body, as if they had seen a very valuable jewel.
Their eyes looked greedy. Some of them were thinking,
"Take all the money you want, just one chance… just one chance."
Lily felt a little angry when she noticed this.
Her gaze became strong for a moment.
But she quickly realized that these were just rich people—fools who looked at anyone without thinking because of their money.
She thought inside—
"They are all fools…"
Meanwhile, Snehwal was still enjoying the market.
He was happily walking around and looking at all the goods on the shops.
His face looked excited, like the world was a big festival just for him.
At the same time, away from the crowd, in a dark corner, an old lady was standing.
She wore a deep red cloth, which shone even in the dim light.
She was hiding in the shadows, keeping herself away from the crowd.
Her eyes were looking straight at Lily.
Then a slow, mysterious smile appeared on her lips—
a smile as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.
The old lady whispered softly—
"The prey has come itself… welcome it."
At that moment, a woman came from behind the crowd.
Her clothes and walk showed that she looked like a maid from a rich house.
She came straight to Lily and said gently—
"You are new in this city. Do you need some help?
You will need a room, because you have to spend the night here."
Lily said 'Yes' without thinking.
She had no choice to say 'No.'
Snehwal and Lily followed the woman.
She led them away from the busy market to a quiet, dark lane.
The woman took Lily and Snehwal to a palace that looked like a ruined building.
Snehwal looked at it and felt scared and uncomfortable.
But for Lily, all this was normal.
The woman said with her hand—
"The room inside is for you. One room will be enough for both of you."
Lily said—
"Yes, one room is enough."
Snehwal scratched his head and said—
"Yes, one room will do. It should be fine."
Lily and Snehwal opened the door of the room and saw that it was like the door to heaven had opened.
The room was so big and beautiful, like the moonlight was shining all over it.
Snehwal said—
"Wow! What a room!"
But Lily's face looked a little sad.
Snehwal lay down on the big bed in the middle of the room and said—
"Come inside, let's rest."
Lily did not say anything.
Snehwal understood that Lily was upset. He asked—
"What happened?"
Lily came inside and said—
"Something is not right here."
The woman had asked as if she already knew everything.
She did not tell us about food or how much the rent is.
"Looking at this palace, I feel like there is some trap."
In a room at the top of the palace, on a big throne-like chair, sat a woman. Her body was not normal—it was made of red flames, as if her whole body was fire.
In front of her stood the same scared woman, wrapped in dark red clothes. She was the one who had helped Lily and Snehwal get the room after talking to the maid.
She said nervously, "Your Majesty…the hunt is ready."
The woman made of flames smiled a little. And the woman became more red.